Applicators for inserting feminine care devices such as tampons and incontinence devices into the body are well known. Most commercially-available applicators have a plurality of flexible petals on their insertion end that are converged to substantially close the applicator before use. A substantially closed applicator is desired to secure the feminine care device, to maintain the condition of the device such as its cleanliness, and to improve applicator insertion comfort. Once the applicator is inserted into the body, a user can then cause the contained feminine care device to be expelled from the applicator, which includes flexing the petals outwardly to “open” the applicator insertion end to permit the feminine care device to pass through and be expelled from the applicator.
Some applicators are made with the flexible petals in their closed position. Many applicators though are initially made with the flexible petals in an open position to permit a feminine care device to be loaded into the applicator from the insertion end rather than from an opposing gripping end. An example of this type of applicator is shown in FIG. 1, wherein the insertion end of exemplary applicator 10 is illustrated with its plurality of petals 12 in their as-molded or open state. After a feminine care device is loaded into the applicator, the petals are repositioned inwardly through pressure and heat for example. This process can be called post-doming the applicator.
During the post-doming process the insertion petals tend to flex/bend at their respective bases. But this can limit design options for both the petals themselves and the resulting insertion end as defined by the collection of repositioned petals. For example, it may be desirable to include relatively long petal lengths to reduce the amount of force required to open the petals and expel the feminine care device. But an aggressive-appearing insertion end can result as petal lengths increase and flex at their bases during post-doming; that is, the applicator insertion end can become too tapered and “pointy” looking. FIG. 2 illustrates this problem. As shown in FIG. 2, a simplistic forming die 20 can be employed to create a hemispherical-shaped applicator insertion tip, but relatively long petals 22 with a tendency to bend at their bases 24 bend prematurely in the die to result in an aggressively-tapered applicator tip. While the expulsion force associated with the relatively long petals may be a positive, the applicator tip may give the appearance of uncomfortable insertion into the body. The scenario shown in FIG. 2 can also result in petals overlapping at their distal ends, with doming heat and pressure potentially causing the distal ends to become stuck to one another to cause expulsion of the feminine care device undesirably difficult or impossible to expel from the applicator. Embodiments of the present invention can address this and other problems through novel thickness profiles of the applicator insertion tip, the petals and/or surrounding applicator structure.